


Appalling Strangeness of the Mercy of God

by HeroOfTheLostCause



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Drabble, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-21
Updated: 2015-02-21
Packaged: 2018-03-14 00:28:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3401801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeroOfTheLostCause/pseuds/HeroOfTheLostCause
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In Hebrew, Joshua means "God is my salvation" and Samuel means "the name of God."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Appalling Strangeness of the Mercy of God

He stopped believing in God when Joanie died. Nobody knew, because nobody had to know. Josh didn’t even think much of it. Belief, religion, that whole Jewish guilt thing, it was easiest just to block it out of his head and to get Bar Mitzvahed and go to Harvard and then to Yale and then to the White House.

If you aren’t running for office, you don’t need to believe in God.

But if your name means “God is my salvation,” does that mean you have to believe? Because for Josh, God isn’t his salvation.

Another man is his salvation.

Samuel. It’s a good name, a Biblical name, just like Joshua. There’s nothing wrong with believing in a Samuel instead of a God. Samuel, as Josh finds out, means “the name of God.”

God is my salvation.

The name of God.

When he met Sam, fell in love with Sam, kissed Sam in an empty hotel hallway, his lips like beer and candy, Josh didn’t he believe in God. He didn’t need to.

He had Sam.


End file.
